Handful of year's homicides unsolved in Southeast Georgia

Five Southeast Georgia homicides, including a triple slaying, remain unsolved as the year draws to a close, despite ongoing investigations by local and state police agencies.

Investigators are asking the public for help in solving the killings that occurred in Bacon, Charlton and Coffee counties. The most recent slayings occurred this month in Bacon and Charlton.

All the unsolved slayings are in the six-county Waycross Judicial Circuit. District Attorney Rick Currie said it's too soon to tell if the evidence will support prosecutors seeking the death penalty in any of the cases.

Currie also said that although investigators are working diligently to solve each homicide, the circumstances of the individual killings have hampered those efforts.

Here's a look at unsolved cases.

Coffee County

Three Douglas men, who investigators say had been friends, were discovered fatally shot March 13 at two nearby sites in the Coffee County seat.

The body of Rodney Lamont Gaskin, 25, was found first, shortly after 1 a.m., inside his McDonald Road home by a neighbor, according to Douglas police officials.

The bodies of George Williams III, 24, and Shannon Smith, 22, were discovered about 7 a.m. inside a car parked at Rountree Park by a passer-by who stopped after noticing that the vehicle's window had been shot out, county authorities said.

All three had been shot multiple times, authorities said.

The triple slaying appears to be drug-related, said Bill Butler, special agent in charge for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Douglas Police Chief John Sweat has said the shootings occurred after "somebody ripped somebody off at sometime."

Investigators have declined comment about possible suspects or other information.

"We're trying to delve into the activities of people whose lives are cloaked in secrecy," Currie said. "People who generally don't seek out law enforcement or go running to the police for help. And that really complicates things when you're trying to find out who committed these crimes."

Currie said people who have information about the slayings might be reluctant to come forward because they fear the possibility of retaliation.

Bacon County

Investigators hope to make an arrest soon in the Dec. 14 slaying of an Alma woman at her home.

Melisa R. Augustson, 24, had multiple stab wounds to the throat. Her husband, Michael, discovered her body about 4: 30 p.m. in the bedroom of their West 15th Street home when he returned home from work in Wayne County, Butler said.

Butler said there was no sign of forced entry, but a rear door had been left open. It appeared that Augustson had been killed sometime that morning.

Currie said investigators have determined no motive.

"It's being actively worked by the GBI and Alma police," he said. "We hope and expect to have an arrest soon in the case."

Investigators declined comment about possible suspects.

The couple had moved to Bacon County last year. Melisa Augustson had been active in the community. She had worked at the county hospital until being laid off earlier in the year, then began working with a local law firm, the Alma Chamber of Commerce and the Bacon Theatre.

Charlton County

A Folkston man was shot Dec. 17 while driving north on U.S. 1 in Charlton County near the Florida border and died the following day.

James DeLaney, 19, was shot twice in the head about 11 p.m. while en route home from Callahan accompanied by a 15-year-old boy, according to Charlton County Sheriff Dobie Conner.

The teenager wasn't injured.

A witness told police that DeLaney's car was attacked by someone in a red or maroon van, which was occupied by a man and two women. The van had pulled alongside DeLaney while both vehicles were northbound in Nassau County, Conner said.

Conner said after DeLaney had entered Georgia, the van again pulled alongside his car and gunfire broke out. The driver of the van then sped away, Conner said.

Authorities said they have not determined a motive.

Staff writer Teresa Stepzinski can be reached at (912) 264-0405 or via e-mail at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.